Sellers of products with secondary markets may maximize the value of an item supplied from reverse logistics processes by determining an optimal path of disposition (e.g. resale as-is, replace parts and resell, buff and polish and resell, etc.) for each returned item. For items that are in good working order, cosmetic inspection and analysis aid to determine the optimal path of disposition by assigning a cosmetic grade to an item based upon specified criteria. Cosmetic grades may be developed by the seller, industry groups or others. An example of an “A” grade item that may be resold as-is, might be an item with fewer than two small surface defects, while a grade “D’ item may have severe surface defects, either requiring a part replacement or may need some operation, such as buff and polish, for removal of surface defects and preparation for resale. Each dispositional path has a different cost to the seller.
Product specifications that cover a product's appearance, look and feel, colour, texture and superior defect-free surface finish are important cosmetic features. Surface defect inspection is an important part of cosmetic quality checks in, for example, smart devices. A traditional method may involve manual visual inspections that lack accuracy and speed of inspection. Additionally, visual inspection provides limited information about surface defects such as count and apparent measurement of size of a defect in two dimensions. It does not fully characterize a surface defect. In order to fully characterize the defect, determination of depth becomes more important than just a visual assessment. Without information regarding the depth of a defect, it may be impossible to determine whether replacement, processing or salvage is the optimal path. For example, a buff and polishing process can't eliminate a defect that cuts the surface of an item to a depth reaching to bulk material below. Cosmetic grading machines, devices or methods known in the art do not provide the size of defect in three dimensions. The present application discloses a system and method for determining the true characterization of a defect, and hence the item's optimal dispositional path, and offers other advantages over the prior art.